Harbingers of Ruin, Last Epoch's first post-launch cycle, is almost here! Let's go over all of the important details that come with this update!
Harbingers of Ruin will be released on July 9th, and it will include several big features! Here is what you should know:
Evade
The Evade feature has finally been implemented! Any class or transformation will have access to the Evade ability. However, the Last Epoch team specifies that it is not a dodge roll because dodge is already a mechanic in the game. 

Nemesis
A new random encounter system has been added: During your journey, both in the campaign and Monolith of Fate, you will now have the possibility to encounter Nemesis: powerful warriors that have previously been slain by a Harbinger. Interacting with the body will allow you to choose between multiple loots and three options:
Banish
Banishing the Nemesis will put it to rest. This will ban the nemesis and its loot, allowing you to get a completely new selection of items with the next Nemesis you find without fighting the current one. Challenge
The second option is to challenge the Nemesis. Succeed, and you will receive all of the items the Nemesis had, and the next one you encounter will have a new set of items. This only works if you defeat the Nemesis. Empower
The third option is to empower the Nemesis. This means that he will awaken enraged and attack you. If you win, the Nemesis will flee with his items. This means you will encounter later on the exact same Nemesis, but with empowered items such as increased Affix Tiers, Forging Potential, Legendary Potential, or non-experimental Sealed Affixes. You can empower a Nemesis twice. Egg of the Forgotten

If you are lucky, you can find an Egg of the Forgotten on a Nemesis. This will reward a random unique if you challenge the Nemesis or choose to replace the egg with your own unique that has no legendary potential. If you do that, choose the Empower system, and your unique will become more powerful.
Harbingers And Forgotten Knight
Harbingers are new bosses found in the Monolith of Fate. You need to defeat them to access the New Pinnacle Boss. 
After defeating your first Harbingers, you will get access to the new Forgotten Knight Faction. This faction is not a third choice, but rather a faction that is accessible to both the Merchant Guild and the Circle of Fortune.
Pinnacle Boss
After defeating all the Harbingers, you get access to a portal beyond the Shattered Road: the Harbinger's Domain.
Once you enter the domain, you will have to face the leader of the Harbingers: Aberroth.

Boss Defenses
The Dynamic Damage Reduction mechanic is replaced with the new Boss Ward System.
Glyph of Envy
New Glyph of Envy: This item allows you to greatly accelerate progress through normal timelines you have not completed yet and add a large amount of stability to timelines you have completed.

New Items
Harbinger's Needle: Unique Small Idol Event Horizon: Unique Two-handed Mace Wall of Nothing: Unique Body Armor Aberroth's Command: Unique Scepter Phase Point: Unique Legendary Potential Quiver New Trailer
If you haven't seen it yet, check out the new Cycle trailer below! 
And last but not least, if you want a more detailed read on all the new information about Last Epoch's upcoming cycle, you can head to the official forum post here: Harbingers of Ruin: What's New?

In the upcoming 1.1 release of Last Epoch, Harbingers of Ruin, players will witness a significant overhaul to the boss battle mechanics. The traditional adaptive boss damage reduction system will no longer exist, replaced by a more dynamic system that incorporates an existing in-game feature: Ward.
During a recent Q&A Dev Stream, the Last Epoch team revealed some interesting information regarding the overhaul of boss battle mechanics:
Revamped Health Bars and Ward Integration
Bosses, including almost all mini-bosses, will get a redesigned health bar, which will feature distinct pips or markers at various levels, representing one or more breakpoints specific to each boss. Upon reaching these breakpoints, not only will the boss recover a portion of its health as Ward, but it will also be momentarily stunned, providing players with a strategic advantage.

Ward Mechanics for Bosses
The plan is to set the Ward amount to approximately 75% of the boss’s maximum health. However, the Eleventh Hour Games (EHG) team is actively working on adjusting this to make sure that gameplay is balanced. Unlike player characters, where Ward decay is proportional to the total Ward, bosses will experience accelerated Ward decay over time. The longer a boss has Ward, the quicker it will go down.
Breakpoints and Phase Transitions
The breakpoints on the health bar will serve a second purpose: for some bosses, these breakpoints will also signal a phase change, providing clear transitions between combat phases and adding a layer of depth to boss encounters.
For those of you eager to see these changes in action, Mike (from the Last Epoch Dev Team) showcased a boss fight during the last developer stream. The gameplay, featuring the new boss mechanics, can be found at the 1:13:57 timestamp, offering a glimpse into the future of boss battles in Last Epoch:
Last Epoch Q&A Dev Stream - Bye Bye Boss DR Stay tuned for additional updates as Eleventh Hour Games continues to improve the game through various new content and exciting challenges!

With the upcoming launch of Harbingers of Ruin, the Last Epoch team has decided to set up some amazing Twitch drops! So let's have a look at some of the cosmetic items you can get!
Last Epoch 1.1, Harbingers of Ruin, is releasing on July 9th, and once again, you will be able to earn some nice rewards through Twitch Drops!
To get these drops, you will have to connect / link your Twitch account with your Steam account. You can make sure that both are linked here: Last Epoch - Twitch Drops
Starting July 9th, you then have to visit the Last Epoch category on Twitch and look for a streamer with Drops Enabled. Once you have found someone you enjoy watching (with the drops enabled), you will have to view the stream for 2 hours on two different days to get the reward from that day!
There are two rewards you can earn between July 9th and July 14th:
Tuesday July 9th - Gloomfeather Cosmetic Pet Wednesday July 10th - Midsummer’s Dream Cosmetic Back Slot Item Thursday July 11th - Gloomfeather Cosmetic Pet Friday July 12th - Midsummer’s Dream Cosmetic Back Slot Item Saturday July 13th - Gloomfeather Cosmetic Pet Sunday July 14th - Midsummer’s Dream Cosmetic Back Slot Item
If you are streaming Last Epoch yourself, you can also enable those drops on your stream starting July 9th! The cosmetic items are available to everyone, so don't hesitate to watch some creators during that time to get your free goodies.

The Last Epoch team always tries to collaborate with the community to provide content that everyone can enjoy. To this end, they released a poll last month to gather players' opinions on the Pinnacle Boss for patch 1.1.
Here are the key takeaways from the poll results.
Regarding the final decisions made by Eleventh Hour Games for the Pinnacle Boss:
The Pinnacle Boss will be released to Offline and Legacy realms with a short delay after its debut on the Cycle. Following the 1.1 release, the Boss will be available on the Cycle. A week later, on July 16th, it will be released on Legacy and Offline realms. If the Pinnacle Boss is defeated before the end of the first week, it will be released to all realms on the next working day. Defeating the boss in any 1.1 Cycle game mode will count, whether you are playing solo or in a party. During the poll, players strongly supported a brief delay between the Cycle and other realms for the release of the Pinnacle Boss. 

Question 2 of the poll asked players if they would prefer that a certain amount of time pass before the Pinnacle Boss is released to the Legacy or Offline realms, in case the boss is not defeated. The responses were closely divided: 30% of players wanted no time limit, while 32% preferred a one-week period. The Last Epoch team internally leaned towards one week, and ultimately, this was the decision they made.
Question 3 revealed a split among players between releasing the content on the next working day or waiting for the time limit chosen in Question 2 if the boss was defeated early on. Eleventh Hour Games decided to opt for the next working day.
The final question received a unified vote: Any game mode within Cycle Online should be preferable to the unlocking condition.

In regards to the poll, the EHG team stated that they will decide whether or not to use the same system for other content, such as events and endgame bosses. They may adjust their approach based on the community’s feedback after the release of 1.1 on July 9th for the Cycle: Harbingers of Ruin.
You can take a look at the official Last Epoch forum post for a more in-depth look at all the poll results.

The anticipation for Last Epoch's next cycle, Harbingers of Ruin, has grown since the recent teaser trailer was released, and the Eleventh Hour Games team has graciously shared further sneak peeks. Here is a quick compilation of the most exciting updates, just for you!
In case you missed some of the recent highlights, here is a summary of what Harbingers of Ruin has in store, as revealed in recent streams and social media posts by the EHG team:
Boss Loot Upgrade: Bosses will now drop specific rewards with a 150% increased rate. Mage Ability: Defender of Welryn: This update adds value to dexterity across more classes. Sentinel's Forge Guard Node: Shield Crafter: Introduces a chance to cast a ring of shields upon blocking. Additional Sentinel Changes: Look forward to enhancements to the Javelineer and Eternal Form.     
For a deep dive into each of these exciting changes, visit the official Last Epoch Twitter page below:
Placeholder for tweet 1800609826994614411 Exciting times lie ahead as we get closer to the release of Harbingers of Ruin. So stay tuned for more updates, and get ready to experience the evolution of Last Epoch! And don't hesitate to let us know what changes you would love to see coming for the next Cycle of Last Epoch?